Author: commonlot

Common Lot, Millburn

Why go: Don’t go if you’re looking for the usual fare — pasta, burger or even bread. Australian-born chef and owner Ehren Ryan isn’t going for the same-old, same-old. His rustic no-airs-about-it, grown-up restaurant has portobello-mushroom colored walls, wooden floors and an open kitchen and an intriguing menu with loads of possibilities for adventurous food lovers. Get his guacamole, studded with spring peas and topped with a sweet pepper relish, especially if you love cilantro (Ehren is not afraid to use herbs boldly). Try his crispy char-grilled cauliflower, served “al dente,” in a lovely lemon-y tahini dressing. Enjoy his perfectly grilled octopus with fried capers, dark purple onions and spring onion relish in a shallow bath of shellfish oil. It has been on the menu, a waiter reported, since the restaurant opened in March 2016. (The next year, Common Lot won the Garden State Culinary Arts award for Best New Restaurant.) As for entrées, you have a few single-serving dishes to choose from such as leg of lamb with fava beans and plancha-seared halibut or mains for two including 12-hour braised lamb shoulder.

Dining room at the Common Lot in Millburn (Photo: Common Lot)

What may surprise you: This is one restaurant where you must make room for dessert. On the night I visited, I couldn’t decide which dessert was better: the silky-smooth goat-cheese cheesecake sporting edible flowers accompanied by heady lavender ice cream or the black sesame meringue stuffed with mousse-like creamy semifreddo atop dehydrated strawberries, pickled green strawberries and fresh strawberries. They were both divine.

How much: Appetizers from $8 to $17; entrees from $26 to $36 with entrees for two starting at $82. Desserts are $10.

New Jersey was shut out last week when the list of finalists for a James Beard Award was announced. Why? Well, that’s a story for an opinion column.

But there’s a New Jersey-centric dinner starting at 7 pm, on Monday, April 16 at the Beard House, located at 167 West 12th Street in New York, in which four top toques from the Garden State are cooking, along with two chefs from Pennsylvania.

Called “Jersey Road Trip,” the dinner spotlights Anthony Bucco, of the forthcoming Felina in Ridgewood; Ben Nerenhausen, of Mistral in Princeton; Ehren Ryan, of Common Lot in Millburn; David Viana, of Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge; and Eric and Mark Plescha, of Charcoal BBQ in Yardley, Pa.

All chefs lead farm-to-table restaurants, and the menu they have created reflects that.

New Jersey is certainly diverse, as are our restaurants. Yet, most of our chefs are much alike in one distinct but important measure: They’re New Jerseyans. Even those who are from elsewhere have eased in — spending years here — growing up, working. Among the rare exceptions are those who share our altitudinal gradient; they’re from New York or Philadelphia.

Not Ryan.

He came to us via Australia, India, the Philippines, Canada and Hong Kong.

Most importantly, he came to us from a Michelin-starred kitchen in one of London’s most prestigious neighborhoods. Sketch is really three restaurants in one, an Alice-in-Wonderland experience, eccentric and quirky but still, and you sense it as soon as you walk in, steeped in a certain incalculable British propriety. You may not know the rules, and the rules may change nightly, but the rules certainly exist.

So, Ryan was nervous when he opened Common Lot in Millburn, unsure how we’d react to a menu that was more fine dining than not, in a restaurant with communal seating that was more casual than not. Not sure if we’d like his cheeky “bag of egg and crisps,” or respond to a chef whose previous customers counted themselves among the global elite in a city that prides itself on its innovative cuisine. Ryan is a cheese sommelier (yes, that’s a thing) who fiercely defends the rigor and discipline and the Escoffier sauces of a French kitchen. How would New Jersey respond?

“A decade ago, we created the Top 25 to augment the Jersey Choice Restaurant Poll in recognition of the dynamism of New Jersey’s dining scene. Every year since, the scene has grown more competitive, contemporary and varied, creating a boon for Jersey diners and a greater challenge for us to select the best of the best. But, hey, it’s a wonderful problem to have.” Read More…

“I have been wanting to try a place in Millburn, NJ called Common Lot for a while now. I checked out the menu online and it was intriguing. The idea that it is an open kitchen also got me. I love when you can see what they are cooking. I decided to give it a try for lunch. I know dinner is always the star meal, but figured, if they can get lunch right, I would certainly go back for dinner.” Read More…

EHREN RYAN IS A RISING TALENT, SERVING A TASTE OF THE WORLD TO THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY WITH HIS NEWLY OPENED RESTAURANT, COMMON LOT.

Born in Sydney, Australia, the young chef was inspired by his high school teacher to pursue a culinary career. Accepted into The Hotel School, Ehren Ryan spent his college years gathering real-world experience, working for popular Sydney restaurants while attending class once a week. Graduating with a degree in commercial cooking after four years, Ryan was hungry to build on his foundation. Traveling to Europe, Ryan began making a name for himself by working in upscale restaurants across the continent.

In a recent interview, Ryan explained how valuable his time in Europe was, specifically crediting his experience with renowned restaurant, Sketch in London, established by master chef Pierre Gagnaire: “I was never exposed to that type of food before, the foie gras, the truffles…the rich food and plating.” The high-end work in Europe taught Ryan discipline, precision and the demanding responsibilities of running a restaurant. Familiar with the industry and confident in his abilities, Ryan set out to open his own restaurant with his wife and partner, Nadine.

From deep-fried hot dogs to fresh caught seafood, from street food from all corners of the globe to every style of pizza you can imagine, there are countless ways to pig out prohibitively in New Jersey. But where to start? With lots of input from (and much arguing with) a handful of fellow Garden State food lovers, we came up with the ultimate restaurant bucket list — the 51 restaurants any self-respecting New Jerseyan should try before they die.
Many are among the state’s top fine dining destinations, but there are also roadside diners, pizzerias, barbecue joints, ramen bars, a hot dog stand and even a clam shack. Beyond sensational food, we also took into consideration dreamy views, peerless service, singular interior design, and just plain Jersey quirk.

12. Common Lot, Millburn
Open not even a year and a half, Common Lot has rapidly cemented itself as one of the hottest tables in the state with luscious and adventurous seasonal dishes in a stylish but down-to-earth atmosphere.

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DIRECTIONS & PARKING

Common Lot is located on 27 Main Street Millburn, New Jersey, (at the corner of Main and Essex Streets). The closest public car parking lot is across the road from Common Lot, where the big clock is. We are a short 3 minute walk from Millburn Train Station from where you can catch a NJ Transit Train directly to / from New York Penn Station. The Train takes around 30 minutes. We are also a 5 minute walk from the renowned Paper Mill Playhouse.

Opening Hours:

Dinner Tue – Thur 5-10

Dinner Fri – Sat 5-10:30

Lunch Tue – Fri 11:30-2

Closed Sunday and Monday
New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day
24,25 and 26 December